Cornish hens

I love Cornish hens; they are called game birds but don’t taste gamy. I don’t think they taste just like chicken either. They are tastier in my opinion. I made them for dinner this week with roasted roots in the same pan. I stuffed them with my herb butter and dried herbs from my garden and glazed them with the Meyer lemon marmalade that I made last week. I thought it would be a great Xmas dinner recipe for anyone wanting a smaller meal rather than turkey and less expensive. You can buy frozen hens at pretty much any grocery store. A smaller bird will serve one and larger bird will serve two people. You can cook them even faster if you cut them in half before roasting, or they will debone quite easily if you like to serve them that way. I personally love to eat mine on the bone but know that you have options. Don’t feel like you have to go out and buy all these herbs—this is what I have in my pantry. I think this combo of herbs has a nice Christmas vibe to it. You can just sprinkle the birds inside and out with dried herbs. If you have enough butter mixture then spread some inside the cavity too. I wrote the recipe for your benefit, but I’m using the flavoured butter in my freezer that I made from my garden herbs in the summer. If the hen is getting too dark from the glaze while roasting then cover with some foil.

Roast Cornish hens with marmalade glaze

2 Cornish hens, about 1 ½ lbs. each Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder

1-2 tablespoons fresh or dried herbs

1 lemon cut in half

2 sprigs fresh or dried rosemary

4 sprigs fresh or dried thyme

6 sage leaves

2 large carrots

2 large parsnips

6-8 shallots

1 1/2 lbs. new potato

2 + 2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons marmalade

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine in a small bowl; butter, garlic, and herbs. Gently lift skin from breasts and legs and spread butter mixture under skin and then pull skin back to cover. Season birds liberally all over and inside cavity with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice into small bowl, then set bowl aside.

Put half lemon inside each bird along with herbs. Cut carrots and parsnips into equal size to the potatoes and shallots; toss the vegetables with two tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place vegetables in bottom of roasting pan, pour wine over vegetables, top with birds, breast side up. Stir marmalade and remaining two tablespoons olive oil into lemon juice. Brush hens with some glaze and roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir vegetables in pan and brush hens with more glaze. Roast for another 30 minutes or until internal temperature measures at least 170°F. Remove the birds and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. If vegetables are not done to your liking then put back in oven and continue cooking. Remove vegetables from pan with slotted spoon and serve pan juices with the birds.